WEST FARGO – The Buffalo Wild Wings NOSA Sprint Cars made their first and only appearance of the season to Red River Valley Speedway on Sunday evening during the Red River Valley Fair. A crowd of over 5,000 race fans packed the grandstand to watch twenty-two 900+ horsepower sprint cars take on the high-banked three-eighths mile clay oval.

Thomas Kennedy of Winnipeg, Manitoba claimed his first career sprint car win at Red River Valley Speedway. Kennedy, who finished second on Saturday night at Devils Lake Speedway after leading every lap but the last one, started the night by winning his heat race in convincing fashion. Kennedy’s fastest lap during his heat was just four-one-hundredths of a second off the Red River Valley Speedway track record, which was set by World of Outlaws driver Shane Stewart last August. Kennedy’s lap time of 11.996 seconds put him at an average speed of 112mph and was just the fourth sub-12 second lap ever turned on Red River Valley Speedway’s three-eighths mile configuration.

The 25-lap sprint car feature started with Jordan Graham taking the early lead over defending race winner, Wade Nygaard. Nygaard, a nine-time NOSA champion, took the lead on lap six as Kennedy followed him into second.

On lap nine, Kennedy made a bold move to the inside of Nygaard to take the lead out of turn four in lapped traffic. Lurking in the third spot was the all-time NOSA wins leader, Mark Dobmeier. Dobmeier went after Nygaard for second, which allowed Kennedy to pull away.

Dobmeier took the spot and began reeling in Kennedy in the closing laps. With two laps to go, Kennedy and Dobmeier found themselves in heavy lapped traffic. Dobmeier drove to the inside of turn four, where he clipped an infield tire barrier, which sent his Buffalo Wild Wings No. 13 upside down. A lapped car was also collected and got upside down with Dobmeier, but both drivers were ok.

On the ensuing restart, Kennedy got a great start and drove away from Nygaard. Kennedy drove the final laps unchallenged as he cruised to the $1,200 win.